Family Secrets
by SaffronAngel
Summary: Edward isn't the only one with family secrets. Could Bella's secret be even more dangerous to her than Edward?
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: Nope Not mine.

SUMMARY: To put a summary at this point might give away the whole story. Read on and find out why.

* * *

"Uncle Kurt? I need help. I can't stay here."

Just a few short minutes ago, she was just plain old Bella Swan, daughter of the Forks police chief. She was the new girl with a crush on the hottest guy in school.

But she'd never know if she stood any chance at all with him. Not now. She'd broken her promise. She'd have to run. Again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Several Minutes Earlier**

Standing at the corner of the truck and inspecting the chains her father had put on just that morning, Bella heard an odd sound. The high-pitched squeal quickly became painfully loud as she looked up, startled.

Because of the sudden adrenaline rush, she noticed many things all at once.

First was that Edward Cullen, the hottest (and most irritating) boy in school was standing just four cars down from her staring at her in horror. That his face wore the same terrified look as everyone else's was almost a shock to her. Especially after the way he'd treated her.

Second, and probably most important was the dark blue van skidding and spinning wildly across the ice of the parking lot. It was headed straight for the back corner of her truck and she happened to be right between the two objects.

Only two thoughts rose in her mind at that moment: how much she would miss her mother and her uncle Kurt. She hadn't seen him in years although she'd spoken to him on the phone a great deal in the last few months. She also knew how much this would hurt Charlie. She may not have been close to him but she certainly didn't want to hurt him like this.

She pictured her bedroom in her mind and then just closed her eyes.

****

Edward was already in motion to save the young woman that so confounded him. Just before he got there though, she disappeared. Edward slid right through the space she'd been standing in as the van swung around the corner of the truck and slid past the point she'd occupied mere seconds before.

He felt the cold of the black top seep through his pants as he fell to a sitting position. _'Edward!'_ Alice's voice screamed through his mind.

Meanwhile, he heard Emmett's laughter ringing out, quickly cut off by a resounding slap from Rosalie. Jasper's thoughts were amused but worried about where the young woman had gone to.

It appeared that Miss Swan had more secrets than Edward had given her credit for.


	3. Chapter 3

The minute she appeared in her room, Bella hurried to the door and locked it. Then she locked the window and closed the curtains. She huddled down beside her bed, out of sight of the door with her cell phone and dialed the number she had hoped she'd never have to use.

"Uncle Kurt? I need help. I can't stay here." She briefly described what had happened at the school that afternoon and waited for him to tell her what to do.

"Bella, just wait there for a little while. I will come and talk to your father."

Footsteps were heading up the stairs. "He's here. The school must have called him already. Hurry, uncle. Please. I'm scared."

"I will hurry, little one. Just be strong."

"Bella. Bella, open this door." Charlie's voice didn't sound angry. Quite the contrary. He almost sounded relieved that she was there.

"Uncle."

"I have to go, little one. Be strong. I'll come for you." He hung up and Bella stood up to go to the door.

"Bella. Please tell me you're in there. Open the door."

Slowly, she unlocked the door and opened it to see Charlie. "Dad."

"Thank God you're alright." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close.

She pushed back from him after a moment. "You aren't mad at me?"

"No. A bit disappointed that this situation came up. But I'm relieved that you're all right. When the school called me, my biggest problem wasn't that you'd used your powers but that you'd been put in a situation where you didn't have a choice but to use them."

He looked down and saw the cell phone in her hand. "You called your uncle didn't you?"

"I was afraid you'd make me leave."

"Bella, honey, I think I need to explain something to you. Why don't we go downstairs and talk?"

The two of them walked down the stairs and sat down in the living room. "What is it that you want to explain, Dad?"

"The reason I didn't want you to use your powers while you're here. I asked you to not use them because I was afraid of what might happen to you if someone saw you do it." He sighed. "You've seen the news. You know how high the public sentiment against mutants is running right now."

"I know, Dad. Is that what you were worried about? That someone might act against me just because I'm a mutant?"

"That's just one thing I've been worried about, Bells. I also worry about if the wrong people come after you. Your talent is a very powerful thing. I wouldn't want the wrong people forcing you into anything because of it."

Bella felt her skin tingle. "Uncle Kurt's here," she announced with a smile on her face.


	4. Chapter 4

Kurt, aka Nightcrawler, appeared in the doorway between the front hallway and the living room.

"Uncle Kurt!" Bella cried, launching herself into her uncle's arms.

"Hello, leibling. Is everything all right here?" He looked at Charlie as he asked the question.

"How do we cover this, Kurt? How do we explain how she disappeared from the accident like that?"

"I'm not certain. In all honesty, Charlie, I just don't know how to cover it. We need to make sure that no one saw what she did. If anyone did, I just don't know how to approach it."

"Nightcrawler?" A strange voice came from the small cell phone like device that Kurt carried on a belt around his waist.

"Everything is fine for the moment, Storm. Please to come in." Just seconds later, there was a knock at the door and Charlie answered it to find a dark-skinned woman dressed all in white. She had white hair and her eyes were fading to normal from a complete white.

"Hello, my name is Ororo Munroe. I came here with Nightcrawler." She laughed. "Of course, he got here first. I had to fly."

Bella noticed his uncle's reaction to the exotic looking woman. Of course, her father was totally polite. "Please come in."

Storm walked in and looked around the house. "You have a beautiful home."

"Thank you. Bella, would you please get our guests a drink?"

"Of course, Dad." She slipped from her uncle's arms and walked to the kitchen. He gestured for the two older mutants to sit on the couch.

"I've been afraid of this day since she first started teleporting. She was only two at the time and I'd yelled at her mother over something. Suddenly, she was gone. I didn't know how to deal with it."

"Bella comes from a long line of mutants. Her skill and mine are the same. Thankfully she looks normal and can pass as a normal human. Her grandmother and I are not so lucky."

"I can only hope that everyone thinks that Bella moved before the accident. Or at least that we can make them believe it."

"I think I can take care of that, Chief." That was a different voice.

"Professor, why did you follow us?"

"I thought that maybe I could help. I can convince everyone that they didn't see Bella standing there before the accident. We can cover this simply. Of course, Bella will have to agree to the story."

"That's not a problem. I saw four mutants killed in cold blood back in Phoenix. None of them had a quick death either." Bella stood in the doorway with her head down. "I couldn't help them. I knew that if I tried I'd be killed too and maybe even Mom. I couldn't risk her like that."

"Baby, no one would have asked you to. I'm glad you kept yourself and your mother safe. Lord knows, she tries enough crazy stuff without thinking about her safety as it is." Charlie had gotten up and walked to his daughter, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close.

"Well, I'll need to get started if I'm going to convince an entire high school that they never saw Bella standing beside her truck." He paused at the door. "You may relax, Bella. This won't work if you don't play along."

"I'll try." The professor left, pausing as the door closed behind him. What was he sensing in the trees just beyond the property?


	5. Chapter 5

Edward stopped at the edge of the trees seeing the plane touch down in the Swan's backyard. A man left the plane only to enter the house. He was in a wheelchair and Edward cautiously reached out to see what the man was thinking only to come up against a brick wall.

Highly puzzled, Edward pushed a little harder only to find an image of the man smiling at him. _'You are trying too hard, my friend. And of course, I do not intend to harm her or to take her away from here. I only want to help her.'_

'_Who are you? How can you read my mind? Why can't I read yours?'_

'_For someone who's been around so long, you are just as curious as any teenager.'_

'_Will you answer my questions?'_

'_I will. In time. For now I have to establish the young Bella's cover story. I think it will be hard to influence your mind on this matter.' _The professor's thoughts paused and his eyes widened._ 'Or those of your family. Can we count on your discretion in this matter?'_

'_I will convince my family to cooperate. I can promise you that.'_

'_Will you answer me one question?'_

'_It depends on the question.' _The professor knew that Edward was at least being honest with him.

'You are not exactly human. And you have, or maybe had is the actual word I want to use, the mutant gene. Who, or what, are you and why are you so interested in this girl?'

'_I will answer the second part of your question. I'm interested in her because, although I can read the thoughts of ALMOST everyone around me, I can't read hers. She intrigues me and that draws me closer even though that could be very dangerous for her.'_

'_So you are dangerous?'_

'_Very. But I feel very protective of Bella at the same time. I just don't know what to do.'_

'_Help me to protect her. We can keep her safe if we work together.'_

'_I'll help you. But I do want to talk with you later. It's been a long time since I've been able to talk with anyone this way.'_

'_I'll make sure we get the chance.'_ Then, the professor's voice was gone. Replaced by the babbling of all those nearby thoughts.

He turned and headed back towards the school, certain that Alice had already seen what the man was planning and trying to talk their siblings into going along with the plan.

****

Later that afternoon, as the five of them headed towards his car, Edward was treated to the sound of Rose's voice screaming at the top of her lungs in his head. _'Idiot! Lunatic! Moron! Jackass! Selfish, irresponsible fool!'_

"Yes, Rose. I am all of those things and more. But think of what trouble I may have saved us. If she'd been crushed by that van, if I had just stood around and let it happen, think of all the blood that would have been laying around. I know we all have self-control but I don't know how long mine for one would have stood up against that type of temptation."

Jasper went stiff in the seat next to Alice as if he could almost picture all that bright red blood. "Edward, that wasn't nice," Alice said. She put a hand on his arm. "It's okay, Jazz. We have faith in you."

"Of course, I have faith in him. But given what I've already thought about the girl, I don't have a whole lot of faith in me. And I know that it wasn't nice to Jasper to say that. I apologize, Jasper. I wasn't trying to get to you."

"Edward, the point is….."

"The point is that I didn't know she was going to disappear. It looks like the silence I get when I try to read her mind isn't the only puzzle about Miss Swan that needs to be deciphered." He smiled. "And you all know how much I love a good puzzle."

Everyone was silent for the rest of the ride home. Of course, as soon as they arrived, Rose was going to get truly vocal and Edward could only hope that Carlisle was home to stop her from getting violent with him.


	6. Chapter 6

Sure enough, the minute everyone was in the living room of the Cullen house, Rose went off. She didn't even bother sitting down before she started in on him.

"You are such an idiot, Edward. She has abilities that we didn't know about. You know about the mutant problem outside of Forks. Now she's brought that problem here and we have to be more careful than ever not to reveal ourselves."

"But, Rose, that Xavier guy seemed to convince everyone else that she wasn't even standing by her truck when the van hit." Emmett was confused. He wasn't stupid but he wasn't sure why she was still so angry when apparently the five of them were the only ones that didn't fall under the sway of the mysterious Professor Xavier.

FLASHBACK

_Mrs. Cope had called all the students to the auditorium to, as she said, inform everyone how the victims of the accident were._

_Once everyone had filed into the room Charles Xavier took the stage and told everyone that Bella had already gone inside the school when the accident happened. She was nowhere near the truck. The only ones who didn't believe him were the Cullens. _

_Xavier focused on Edward for a moment as the others filed out. _'Make sure that your family understands the need for silence.'

'I will, professor. We are used to keeping secrets.'

'Thank you, Edward. And I look forward to talking to you again.'

'Would you be willing to come by our house later? I'm certain my father would be most interested in talking to you.'

'I believe that can be arranged. I will come around 7 this evening. Will that be alright?'

'Of course. What will you do until then?'

'I have to make sure that the suggestion sticks with everyone and I would like to check on Bella.'

'I understand. I will see you later.'

'Until later, Edward.'_ The connection was cut and Edward left school._

_FLASHBACK ENDS_

"He can talk to you telepathically?" Alice asked.

"Yes. And I think that he can shed a little light on Bella's abilities."

Alice's wide smile startled everyone but Edward. "Good. After all she and I are going to be great friends."

Edward thought about what he'd seen in Alice's mind about the two of them walking arm in arm. He smiled.

"She endangers us!" Rosalie hissed. "She's already noticed Edward's eyes and his stupidity today could have exposed us even further."

"Rose, that's not your call to make. She has kept our secret so far."

"She hasn't known for long, has she, Edward. What happens when she comes back to school?"

"No one else knows that she was even there. They won't ask her about the accident because they all believe that she was inside at the time. I've already worked out what I'll tell anyone who asks me what I was doing there."

Carlisle sat patiently; knowing that Edward was right and Rose was just going to have to accept the fact. He could see just how much his son wanted to lash out at his sister and admired his self-control.

"And why did you make that comment about your self-control the way you did?"

"What comment was that, Rose?" Carlisle asked.

"He said, 'But think of what trouble I may have saved us. If she'd been crushed by that van, if I had just stood around and let it happen, think of all the blood that would have been lying around. I know we all have self-control but I don't know how long mine for one would have stood up against that type of temptation.' It really bothered Jasper for him to say that."

"Edward?"

"I also clarified that I was referring to my own self-control. Carlisle, I've told you how I felt that first day about her. You know that I went to Denali in order to try to get over that. It hasn't changed. If given the chance, I would probably drain her dry." At the look on Carlisle's face he continued. "However, I have become extremely protective of her. I don't know what's happening to me. Why am I so confused about her? Why does she affect me so much?"

"My friend, Aro, in Italy used to say that every once in a while a vampire will find one mortal whose blood practically sings to him. They call those, at least the female ones, la tua cantante. Apparently, you've found yours. They aren't common. Most of them end up dead because the one their blood sings for can't stand the temptation. If you can resist, then, she could become the one you've been looking for all this time."

"How do I resist the draw of her blood?"

"I wish I could tell you, Edward. I don't know." Edward hung his head. Carlisle looked over at Rose. "And there will be no trashing the Aston-Martin. Edward paid good money for that car and any damage you do to it, Rose, you will pay to repair."

"Like I'd trash a classic like that one. Honestly, Carlisle, I have more respect for cars than that." Anyone who didn't know Rosalie would be surprised to hear such a thing come from her mouth. Most people thought of her as a model, not a mechanic.

"I know you that about it, Rose."

"Gut reaction to your sheer stupidity today. You did something that could expose us all and my temper flared. I don't like having to move constantly."

"Some of those moves, Rosalie, have been your doing if you remember correctly. I didn't come after you for some of your less intelligent blunders so you should afford me the same courtesy."

"Don't you start on that, Edward."

"I didn't. You brought up the topic of how many times we've had to move."

"That's enough from both of you." Carlisle looked steadily at Rose who looked away. But Edward held his father's gaze when it landed on him.

"Carlisle, there's a car coming up the driveway," Alice announced from the window.

"That would be Professor Xavier."

"Why is he coming here?"

"He wants to talk to me and he would like to speak with Carlisle. I think you might find him very interesting. He could block my talent with no difficulty at all. He didn't even have to use alternate imagery."

"Wow." Alice was impressed. So was Jasper. Emmett was jealous because he couldn't block Edward at all. Rose didn't care. She just didn't trust the professor.

The quick knock brought everyone that was seated to their feet. Of course, Edward was the first to the door.

"Hello, Edward."

"Hello, Professor. Won't you come in? We were just having a little family discussion."

"Thank you." The man walked into the house and looked around. Carlisle walked into the foyer, followed by Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper. "Hello. I am Professor Charles Xavier."

"Carlisle Cullen. This is my wife, Esme. And of course our children, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper. You've already met Edward."

"Pleasure to meet you. This is Ororo Munroe, Kurt Wagner, and Logan."

"Mutants all?" Carlisle asked, his curiosity peaked.

"Yes. All of us are mutants. Ororo, or Storm, is mistress of the elements. Kurt, Nightcrawler, is a teleporter. Logan is, well he's Logan. He has an amazing healing ability and an adamantium skeleton. He's virtually indestructible."

"Would you like to test that?" Emmett smiled.

"Anytime, friend. Anytime." Logan's growl rumbled through the room. He held up one hand and the claws extended slowly.

"Pretty toys," whispered Jasper. His eye for weaponry hadn't diminished with time.

Logan nodded as if recognizing a fellow soldier in the vampire. "You guys lived in Canada for a while didn't you?"

"Many years ago. Almost eighty now if I remember correctly." Carlisle was puzzled. How could this man know that they had lived in Canada?

"Logan is over one hundred years old if his memory is to be trusted. But it hasn't been long since his memory was restored to him. Some years ago, he was shot in the head with two adamantium bullets. It, well for lack of a better term, scrambled his memories. But something triggered a return of his memories recently and he remembers much of his life."

"I think I remember seeing someone who looked a great deal like you in Texas, during the Civil War. There was another man with you." Jasper was nodding.

"My brother. That's a story I don't talk about. But you do look a little familiar." Logan nodded.

"Logan, this man is so young. How could you have known him eighty years ago?" Storm was more than puzzled.

"He's not human. None of them are. The scent is familiar though." Logan raised his head and sniffed the air again. "Let's see if I'm right." He dragged one of his claws across his own arm, drawing blood.

The only reaction came from Jasper. His eyes went wild. Alice's hand quickly gripped his arm. Of course, the professor noticed that the rest of them, except Carlisle, pretty much stopped breathing. Carlisle stepped forward to watch with rapt fascination as Logan's arm healed itself without any interference. "Vampires."

"Vampires are real?" Kurt asked, his accent a little more pronounced.

"Yes, Kurt. I've seen evidence of this before. It's hard to believe but they are just as real as mutants are."

"Incredible," Storm breathed.

"Indeed," agreed the professor in a hushed tone.


	7. Chapter 7

Alice laid her hand on Jasper's arm. "That wasn't very nice. Jasper hasn't hunted lately."

"Wasn't trying to be mean. Just testing a theory. Now that I'm certain, I almost have a question about whether or not I would be immune to being turned. Lots of people have tried to kill me: a couple have even succeeded for a short while."

"Logan, I understand your curiosity but I don't think we want to be testing THAT particular theory anytime soon." The professor's voice was calm enough to make the wolverine stop and think.

"You're right, Professor. But I think I might just take the big guy there up on his offer to see just how indestructible I am." He looked at Emmett. "Want to step outside?"

Esme spoke up. "Emmett."

"Esme, let them go. I would also like to see what happens." Carlisle was curious. He knew that Emmett had brute strength. But he didn't have a strategic mind. It occurred to him that maybe the mutant in question had a very strategy-oriented mind.

Everyone followed the two outside to watch.

****

"Bella, are you okay?" Charlie asked as his daughter started supper in the kitchen.

"Fine, Dad. I just don't know if I want to go to school tomorrow."

"We can tell them that you're sick. It'll be okay." Bella wasn't sure she'd heard her father right. He was going to let her miss school. Her emotions must have been clear on her face because he explained himself. "You're smart enough that you won't fall too far behind and I'm sure that one of your friends will be glad to bring your homework to you for a day or two."

She nodded. "Maybe that would be best. Just until we know if the Professor made it stick in their minds that I wasn't right there. You know, give them a chance to forget the accident."

"That's it, sweetheart." Charlie wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I know that your life isn't easy but you've done so well with it. Your mom told me about those kids you saved from the burning building. Of course no one knew about it so you were safe."

FLASHBACK

Bella had been coming back from the library when she saw the apartment building on fire. The firemen were trying to get in there but they didn't seem to be getting very far.

"_My children are in there!" screamed a woman that was being held back by three police officers. _

_Bella knew what she had to do and walked behind a nearby building. Looking around carefully she noticed that no one was near her let alone looking at her. _

_She closed her eyes and teleported into the burning building, somehow ending up in the room that the three children had been taking their naps in. Working quickly, she tied one of them to her back and picked up the other two before teleporting back out._

_She had run out after positioning the kids to make it look like they had stumbled out of the building by themselves and collapsed. "Hey! There's three kids over here!" Three medics ran over accompanied by a couple of firemen. They carried the kids away and Bella made good her escape. _

_When the medics turned to thank her for finding them, she was gone. They just couldn't explain it to themselves so they didn't say anything to anyone else._

_**FLASHBACK ENDS.**_

"That was a good thing, Bells. You are a really good person." Charlie kissed her cheek and then left the room while she finished making dinner.

****

Three hours later, Wolverine and Emmett were still at it. Logan had some scratches but amazingly so did Emmett. The vampire pulled back for a moment. "Draw?"

Logan nodded, impressed by Emmett's stamina. Everyone watched in amazement as Logan's wounds healed as they watched even though they'd seen it already.

"Logan, it's time to go," the professor said quietly. "We need to check with Bella before we leave."

"Sure, professor. No problem." The man put his shirt back on and walked over to where his friends stood. "Thanks for the scrap, bub."

"Same here. It's good to have someone that I can really let go with."

As the professor left, Edward slipped out of the house and ran off through the woods.

****

"I would prefer it if you waited here. I need to go check on Bella and her father."

"You need someone to watch your back, professor."

"I am safe here, Logan. As safe as anyone else."

"Professor, a lot of people know that you are a prime advocate for mutant rights. You have a large target on you. The Friends of Humanity know that if they take you out, they set mutant rights back so far that we might never have peace."

The professor sighed knowing that Logan was right. "Very well. But stay out of sight unless I'm in trouble."

"That I can do."

"Very well. The rest of you stay here. We will return shortly." The professor and Wolverine left the hotel room for Charlie's house.


	8. Chapter 8

The two stopped just at the front door of the Swan residence. All the lights were out and apparently everyone was asleep. The professor closed his eyes in order to focus on the inhabitants of the house.

"Bella's asleep as is her father. She seems to be a bit nervous about going to school for the next few days. Her father has told her that she could call in sick for a day or two. Just to give things a chance to calm down a bit. Besides, her truck will be repaired in just a couple of days."

"Good thing she has such an old truck. It took the impact without a lot of damage," Wolverine growled. He lifted his nose. "Someone else is here, professor. Watching from the woods."

"That would probably be Edward. I told you he is intrigued that he can not read the young girl's thoughts." Charles smiled. "And his desire for his blood has been overridden by the thought of protecting her."

"I still don't like the thought of him hanging around Bella. She's such a little innocent."

"Maybe not as much as you would like to think."

"She doesn't know about vampires, does she?"

"No but I don't think our Bella is quite as innocent as we might all want her to be."

****

Two days later, Bella drove into the school parking lot in her beat-up old truck. Charlie had asked the boys from the reservation to come and fix it for her. Now you couldn't even tell that it had been in an accident.

"Bella, I'm really glad your truck's fixed. I'd hate to see you have to get a ride in the squad car with Charlie," Angela gushed running up to her.

"I'm just glad she was inside when it happened," Mike Newton said. "I hate to think about what could have happened to her."

"Thanks for worrying about me, guys. But I'm fine. Really."

Bella walked into the office to turn in the note her dad had written for her. Mrs. Cope stood behind her counter smiling at her. "I'm so glad to see you feel better, dear. We missed you while you were out."

Something changed in Mrs. Cope's eyes and Bella knew immediately that she was being watched over while at school. "Thank you, Mrs. Cope." Bella smiled at the woman she now knew was her grandmother.

Mystique smiled to herself. She knew she never could have deceived her granddaughter the way she could most anyone else. Bella was one of those special mutants. She had a variety of powers. And no one knew how many more might manifest themselves by the time she was fully-grown.

****

That night, Bella was tossing and turning as she relived the crash in her dreams. As her dreams calmed a bit she never saw Edward looking in through the window from the tree that sat there.

He berated himself repeatedly for peeping in her window like some human pervert. But just as he was about to drop himself back to the ground, he allowed himself a long look at her face.

It wasn't peaceful. There was a little furrow between her eyes. The corners of her lips turned down. "Okay, Mom," she muttered.

'_Oh this is rich. Miss Swan talks in her sleep. Maybe I can find out something about her.'_

Edward lifted on the window discovering it unlocked even though it stuck due to long disuse. _'I'll have to get some oil for the next time.'_ Even as he thought it, he wanted to slap himself. Why would he even consider that this could happen again? He knew that he should stay away from this girl but something pulled him to her.

Her room wasn't messy but disorganized. Of course it was small which didn't allow for much organization. He longed to look at the books stacked beside her bed to learn some of her interests. He didn't dare though. That would put him too close to her.

"Edward." He looked to the bed. She seemed asleep but the voice was so clear. "Edward," she said again as she turned under the covers. Was she dreaming of him? "Stay. Don't go. Please don't go."

He felt as if his still heart had started beating once again. She wanted him to stay with her in her dream.

He sensed the emotions closing over his head and, for several long moments, was drowning in those very emotions. When he surfaced again, he realized that he loved Bella Swan and would do so until his existence ended.

He had to choose. Could he leave her in order to keep her safe? Could he be selfish enough to ask Carlisle to change her to keep her with him forever?

Wait, there was a third choice. One that would allow her to stay human and him to stay with her. But was he strong enough to do it? Could he control himself so completely that he could be in a relationship with her and leave her human?

He took a deep breath allowing her scent to wash over him. Several times, he sent his head spinning by taking deep breaths of her scent. He knew that he had to become used to the burn it caused in the back of his throat in order to prevent Alice's vision of her future as a vampire.

Edward sat beside the woman that he loved, building a tolerance to her scent until the sun peeked over the trees and he knew he had to head home and get ready for school.

As he ran off, Wolverine stepped out of the tree line. "I'm watching you, boy.


	9. Chapter 9

"Damn keys!" Bella swore as she moved to pick them up out of the puddle she'd dropped them in. Suddenly, Edward was there, pulling the keys out of the ice cold water. He leaned against her truck casually. "How do you do that? Are you a --?" She slammed her mouth shut before she said the word, realizing that he might not know exactly what she was. "You're not a mutant," she whispered. "Not exactly."

Edward straightened up. "How do you know that?"

"What are you?"

"How do you know that I'm not a mutant?"

"It's just an ability I've always had. I always know when there's a mutant near me."

"Bella, let's ditch today. I want to talk to you."

"Where are we going to go?"

"A little place I know. Come on. I think we have a lot to talk about."

She allowed him to lead her to his Volvo and place her gently in the passenger seat. Before she knew it, they were heading down the street, leaving the school behind in no time.

As they hit the outskirts of town Edward put his foot on the gas and sped away.

"Where are you taking her, boy?" Wolverine growled as he followed them on the bike he had stashed on the Blackbird. It was just like the one he had swiped from Cyclops when Rogue had run from the school.

****

Pulling up at the end of the road, Edward and Bella got out of the car. "I'll have to carry you the rest of the way."

She laughed for a moment and then realized that he was actually serious. "How are you going to carry me?"

"On my back. You'd never be able to keep up with me the way I run." He turned his back to her and she reached up, somehow knowing that she could trust him implicitly.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He took off running. He ran so fast that the trees were nothing more than blurs around them.

****

Wolverine pulled up alongside the Volvo and looked around carefully. He picked up Bella's scent and then lost it. But he had Edward's scent strong in his sensitive nose. He headed off in the direction that the vampire had gone.

****

Edward stopped just short of a small meadow that he had found one day while running. It had become a sanctuary of sorts. He stood still waiting for her to slide off his back. She was trying but her muscles wouldn't respond. Her arms and legs stayed locked around him as her head spun almost wildly.

"Bella?"

"I think I need to lie down."

"Oh sorry." He waited another moment but nothing happened.

"I think I need help."

He chuckled softly and gently loosened the stranglehold around his neck. He pulled her around to face him, cradled in his arms as a small child would be. After a moment, he placed her carefully on the springy ferns.

"How do you feel?"

"Dizzy, I think."

"Do you go through this when you teleport?" Her head snapped up. Grabbing her head, she groaned as the vertigo got worse.

"How do you know about that?"

"The professor's mind-control abilities don't work on me or my family. We aren't exactly human. We're not mutants either."

"What are you?" He took her hand to help pull her to her feet.

"Think about it, Bella. The super speed. The pale complexion. The cold skin."

"You're vampires? Is that what you're trying to tell me?" She stormed away from him not noticing the beauty of the meadow they were in at first. In the middle of the meadow she turned around. "Is that why you brought me out here? So you could tell me that you're a mythical creature?"

"I can't help what I am. I read minds. I think that's why the professor's ability didn't work on me. I can't explain it with the others though."

"And how do you know about the teleporting?"

"I saw you standing beside your truck. Alice saw a vision of the accident that was about to happen and I picked it up from her. I ran toward you to push you out of the way but you disappeared."

"So you almost revealed yourself in order to save me?"

He nodded. "And my sister Rosalie really let me have it for that. She wouldn't stop yelling at me in her mind." He chuckled. "I caught images of violence done to my favorite car. Carlisle nipped that one in the bud though."

"She was going to destroy your car?"

"Not the Volvo. She was going to mess with Aston-Martin Vanquish. Not a cheap car."

"Okay. So what makes you think it's safe to tell me your secret?"

"Because the way I see it, you are a trustworthy person. You obviously don't go blabbing secrets to everyone you meet. If you did, you'd be an open book and you just aren't. I see someone I can trust in you." He took a deep breath. "Someone I could spend a lot of time with. Maybe come to care for deeply. I already feel very protective of you. I don't understand this feeling but it's there."

He took a step towards her and was surprised when she didn't back away. He stepped closer still and stopped, smelling something else on the air. He smiled. There was part of her courage. Wolverine was nearby and she knew it.

"He's an excellent tracker isn't he?" She smiled as she said it. "He's always been super protective of me. I don't know why but he is."

"He's got to be one of if not the best tracker I've ever encountered." Edward chuckled. "We both know you're here, Logan. You can come out."

Logan stepped out of the tree line. "Just keeping an eye on the girl, Cullen. I promised her mother."

"You and my grandmother." At Wolverine's puzzled look, she explained. "Raven's at school watching over me. I saw her yesterday."

"I followed you from your house, Bella. I don't know why your grandmother came but maybe it's a good thing that she's here. After all, it would look kind of funny if I followed you around school all the time."

"Logan, there's no need for the extra protection. No one here knows that I'm a mutant. And I don't plan on revealing myself to them either."

"Your mom's worried about you, kid. She has been since the fire rescue. She's afraid you're going to decide that someone else needs to be safe more than you do. I'm just making sure that, at least as long as the professor's here you don't do that."

"Logan, I may not be over a hundred years old but I'm not stupid. I know what can happen to mutants. And usually small towns are the most vicious when it comes down to it." She smiled. "Besides, it looks like I have an extra protector right in front of me."

"I will watch over her, Logan. You have my word that she is safe with me."

"Except on sunny days," Logan growled.

At Bella's puzzled look, Edward took a deep breath and stepped out into the bright sun.

He was sparkling! Sparkling as if his skin was coated with diamonds! She walked closer and reached out a hand, stroking it gently down the side of his face.

A gasp from him made her yank her hand away and Logan stepped closer. "No. It's okay. The warmth of her hand startled me. I didn't mean to frighten you, Bella."

"You didn't frighten me. You startled me when you gasped. That's all."

"I'm going back to the professor. Bella, you be careful. We'll be leaving in a day or two."

"Okay." She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"Edward, I'll know if you hurt this girl. She's like a daughter to me."

"I understand, Logan. She does tend to bring out protective instincts doesn't she?" Edward's smile was returned by the Wolverine.

Logan left the meadow. Edward led Bella to a fallen log and the two of them sat down.

"Let's talk."


	10. Chapter 10

"What do you want to talk about?"

"How long have you been able to teleport?"

"My dad says the first time I did it I was two. He and Mom got into an argument and I just vanished. They started searching the house, thinking I couldn't have gone too far. They searched the whole house from top to bottom, getting more worried all the time. They finally found me in my room, sitting in my crib with my stuffed animals and tears in my eyes."

"Do you like the ability?"

"Sometimes. It's not an easy thing to be able to do something like this and yet know that if you use your power you could end up dead or seeing someone else die. I saved three children shortly before I came here. It wasn't a hard decision to make, saving them. I just had to decide if it was worth the problems it could cause doing it. I mean really, I could get killed for using my power in public. I made sure that no one else saw me do it. I managed to get the kids out of a burning building and laid out in the backyard without anyone seeing me. For three days afterward, though, I looked over my shoulder, scared to death that someone had seen me."

"How do you manage to keep from using the power on a regular basis? I know that sometimes it gets hard to run at human speed instead of vampire speed."

"I just remind myself of the riots I've seen on TV because of mutants that use their powers in full view of the normal people. Most normal people don't want to deal with mutant powers just because it's something different from what they've always known. But at the same time, powers like mine are frightening to them. I mean, would you want someone around that could teleport right into a place, as long as they've already seen it, and then back out?"

"But I do know someone like that. And I kind of like having her around." He smiled at her, brushing the hair back from her face. "Why are people so frightened of what's different?"

"Because they're raised with a certain comfort zone. Think about it. You had a comfort zone before I came along. But what was the deal with the first day I met you? You looked like you'd smelled something absolutely disgusting when I sat down next to you."

"Quite the contrary, Bella. I smelled something so delicious that I wanted to drain your blood right there in the classroom. I would have killed everyone in the room in order to do just that. I was actually thinking about how to kill everyone the quickest in order to not raise an alarm before I could get to you." He chuckled. "And now I find out that the carnage I was contemplating might have been a little pointless. You could have escaped me easily enough."

She smiled at him. "I don't know if I should be glad that it took you so long to figure out the best way to kill a whole classroom of people or frightened of you."

"I'm glad. Because it gave me time to get away and think about what I was about to do. Alice told me several times that killing you would kill your dad. I realize now just how right she was."

"My dad loves me. He just couldn't deal with my power. That's why he didn't fight to keep me when he and Mom divorced." She bowed her head. "Although there was a time when I thought it was just that he didn't love me."

"How could you think that, Bella? He let you spend summers with him and some holidays didn't he?"

"Yeah. But that just isn't the same as living with someone full-time. I love my mom but she's more than a bit scatter-brained. I have to be the adult there and when I'm with Charlie that tends to carry over because I don't know how to be anything else."

"But your mom has Phil now."

"And he makes sure that she doesn't do anything dangerous but he doesn't make her think about what needs to be done like paying the bills or the fact that she needs to eat three times a day. He just pays the bills himself and put food in front of her. Sometimes I think he likes taking care of her more than he lets on."

"It's possible. But as long as she's happy …"

"And she is. I'm just not so sure I am." Seeing the look on his face, she continued. "I like most of the people here. In fact there's one in particular that I think I might like more than is good for me." She smiled at him. "But I've been taking care of my mother for so long, that it kind of feels like a part of me is missing when I'm here. Grandmother always says that even though Mom is her one 'normal' child, she does have a special ability. She sees everything so simply that she looks past all the trimmings and straight to the heart of a matter."

"That's not such a bad thing." Edward was enjoying playing with her hair. Bella was starting to notice that she could hear some of his thoughts. _'I hate seeing the sadness in her eyes. I want to see her smile more often. She's so beautiful and even more so when she smiles.'_

"I'm not you know."

"Not what?" Edward was confused.

"Not beautiful. I'm not beautiful. Rosalie's beautiful. Gorgeous even. Alice is cute. I'm just plain old Bella."

"First of all, I didn't SAY you were beautiful. I thought it."

"Sorry. One of my powers is that, when I'm around someone with a power, as long as they're within twenty feet of me, I can use their power. If I'm around them long enough, it sticks around after they leave. And we think that if I'm around someone for the right length of time, the power becomes a permanent part of me."

"Interesting. We might have to test that theory. Anyway, Rose maybe beautiful but she's a blond and I prefer brunettes. And Alice is cute. But she's my little sister. I can't possibly look at her like that. Even if I did, Jasper would probably kill me. He's very protective." He hooked one finger under her chin and pulled her head up to look in his eyes. "And you are not plain old anything. Bella means beautiful in Italian and it describes you to a tee." He leaned in slowly. Bella leaned toward him and their lips met in a gentle kiss.


	11. Chapter 11

Later that afternoon, Edward dropped Bella off at school to pick up her truck. She drove back home and went straight to her room.

"Bella," Charlie called up the stairs. "Would you come down here for a moment please?"

She headed for the stairs, not wanting to upset her father. "What's up, dad?"

"The school called me. You skipped today." He didn't ask. He wanted her to explain it to him.

"Edward and I had some things to talk about. We went to a little meadow out in the woods."

"Bella, you can't draw attention to yourself like that."

"Dad, please. Edward wanted to talk to me and the subjects he wanted to talk about were not something we wanted everyone else to hear about."

"He asked you about being a mutant?"

"And I talked to him. He explained a few things to me and I explained a few to him." Bella decided not to tell her dad about the kiss between the two of them. She didn't think he could handle that. Not just yet anyway.

Just then the phone rang. Bella picked it up. "Hello, Logan."

"Just checking on ya, kid. Makin' sure you made it home okay."

"I'm fine. Sometimes you're worse than a mother hen." She giggled.

"Don't laugh, kid. That guy could have put a serious hurt on you."

"We just talked. I swear it."

"Sure, kid. Just be careful around him."

"Logan, you forget my ability sometimes."

"Never, kid. I remember that one night at the mansion. When that boy slipped into your room?"

Bella cringed. She'd tried to forget that night. She'd scared the daylights out of several people, not the least of which was Wolverine. She didn't ever want to see that man scared again.

FLASHBACK

_Bella had been sleeping soundly in the room in between Wolverine's and Nightcrawler's. One of the boys in the school had expressed more than a passing interest in her. _

_He was a bit pushy that day. Kurt and Logan had backed him down. That just made him that much more persistent in trying to get Bella alone._

_He snuck into her room that night and crawled into her bed, wearing very little. When she felt his hands on her, she shrieked, waking the whole mansion. _

_She'd been with Siren all day and it showed. Then, she just disappeared. _

_When she realized where she was, she simply curled up in a corner and sat there shaking, not sure if she should just teleport back to her room or not. _

_She cried as she thought about the boy's hands on her body. He could have done so much to her if she hadn't woken up just then. She was terrified. Afraid of Kurt's reaction. Terrified of Logan's. She just wasn't sure what to do. _

_Looking around the cabin, she realized that no one had been here in a long time. No one even knew that she'd found this old place. She only had on her nightgown and it wasn't very heavy against the wind that blew through the broken window. There were no blankets around and nothing else she could put on over herself._

_Curling up in the corner seemed to be the only way to stay out of the wind and make some progress in warming herself._

_She must have dozed off at some point because the next thing she remembered was hearing the door of the cabin slam open. _

_Bolting upright, Bella tried to squeeze further into the corner before realizing that the form filling the door was Wolverine's. Fear covered her face._

_He sniffed the air, calming himself when the scent of her fear reached his sensitive nose._

"_Bella, come on, kid. Let's get you back to the mansion." He walked toward her slowly._

_She turned to look at him. His eyes told her just how scared he'd been when they'd found the boy in her room and no sign of her._

"_Wh-wh-what happened?" she asked as he approached her._

"_I'll tell you later. Let's get you back to the mansion first. You went kind of far. That's why it took so long to find you. I brought a jacket." He held out his heavy coat. "Please, Bella."_

_She really looked at him then. It wasn't often one heard the Wolverine say please. He was frightened. Or at least he had been. Afraid of what she couldn't say but she knew that he'd been plenty scared. _

_Timidly, she walked toward him as if expecting to be scolded. "I ain't gonna yell at you, kid. We were all worried about you."_

_It had to have been bad if he was admitting to being worried._

_By the time he got her back to the mansion, the boy had been reprimanded and told to stay out of the teacher's wing of the school. If he was ever caught there again, he would be sent to another school._

_Of course, having to face the Wolverine every day after that wasn't easy. The boy never exactly got over what had happened. He left the mansion one night not long after. No one ever knew what had happened to him._

FLASHBACK ENDS

"I remember," Bella whispered. It had been the scariest thing she'd ever been through. Not long after that she'd gone back to her mom's house and tried to put that night behind her.

"I don't mean to scare you, kid. I promised your grandmother and your mom that I'd help keep an eye on you when I could. You never finished your lessons with the professor so you are still real vulnerable. I don't want to see you in that position again."

"I know. Please, Logan, trust my judgment. I won't let my guard down around Edward. But I do want him as a friend."

"Friend I can handle, kid. Just don't take it farther than is comfortable for you. Take this at your pace. Not his."

"I promise. I swear that I won't let anyone push me into anything I don't want."

She hung up the phone and went back upstairs to do her homework before going to bed to dream of Edward's tender kiss.


	12. Chapter 12

Bella hadn't slept well the night before. Logan's phone call had brought back all the nightmares that had accompanied that incident the first time. She wanted to run and hide again. That incident was the reason she hadn't finished her lessons with the professor. She had run back to Phoenix.

She had woke up so often through the night she wondered why she'd even bothered going to bed in the first place. _'Damn you, Logan. You knew what would happen when you brought THAT up.'_

She slipped down the stairs, hoping that Charlie had already gone to work. No such luck. "You are actually going to school, aren't you?"

"Yeah, Dad. That's the plan." She ate a quick bowl of cereal before heading out the door.

Once at school Bella immediately noticed that she could hear the thoughts of those around her. She could already feel the headache starting. _'Not again.'_ She knew that she'd be in the hospital by the end of the day. She wanted to go home now.

At lunch she didn't get any food. Her stomach was protesting even thinking about food.

Edward watched her from where he sat with his siblings, worried. "Jasper, can you tell what's wrong with her?"

"She doesn't feel good." He cringed. "Massive headache. She doesn't want to move."

Edward nodded. He would keep an eye on her in biology.

****

Biology started. Bella felt like curling up on the floor. She was fighting tears.

"Bella, are you okay?" Mike's worried voice right over her head made her flinch.

"Back off, Newton," Edward whispered viciously. "She doesn't feel well."

"Edward, why don't you take her to the nurse's office and stay with her for the class?" Edward nodded. He stood up and gently helped her to her feet.

"Can you walk, Bella?" he whispered in her ear. Tears streamed down her face freely now. She shook her head once, pain flaring with the movement. He gently gathered her into his arms and walked out of the classroom.

****

Mrs. Cope was standing at the desk when Edward walked in carrying Bella. "What happened?"

"She has a headache. It hurts so bad that she can't even walk."

The woman held the door while Edward carried Bella inside and laid her down on one of the little cots. "Please turn off the lights," Bella whispered carefully.

Mrs. Cope did it without any argument. Edward could tell that there was something different about the woman. She was so worried about Bella that her mind didn't have a trace of the usual thought patterns.

Before Edward could think anything more about it, she walked out and pulled out her cell phone. Bella whimpered. Edward placed a cool hand against her forehead and he was certain she was running a fever.

"Bella, hang on. If nothing else, I'll take you to the hospital and Carlisle can help you." His voice was full of worry and he only wanted to help her.

****

"Professor, can you come to the school? Bella has another one of those headaches like she used to have when you were first teaching her. I think it has something to do with being around that Edward Cullen. You said he could read minds. Maybe he's opened her mind too much."

"I'll be there soon. Just keep her in the nurse's office, Mystique. I'll take care of her once I get there."

"Hurry, Professor. I fear for my granddaughter."

"I will."

****

Not even twenty minutes later, Professor Xavier entered into the school. Mystique led him back to the nurse's office where Bella lay. Edward still had his hand against her forehead.

"She's running a fever?"

"Yes. My hand seems to help." He looked into the professor's eyes. "I did this to her, didn't I?"

"Being around someone who can read minds doesn't help her. She hasn't learned to build shields. Too much exposure to thoughts gives her migraines that sometimes take days to be rid of. I'll have to build her some shields for now."

"Can I stay with her?" Edward's voice was worried.

"I think I can allow that." The professor sat down on a chair next to the cot and placed his hands on Bella's temples.

She winced at first but relaxed a bit as the professor continued to work.

After about fifteen minutes, Edward stood up. He needed to check on something.

Walking out into the office, Edward noticed Logan sitting along the wall. He nodded to the man and walked over to Mrs. Cope.

"Mrs. Cope, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"Who are you really?"

She turned to face Edward. "What do you mean?"

"Mrs. Cope has certain thought patterns. You don't. Who are you?"

"I guess he caught you, Raven," Logan laughed.

"That's what I get for trying to fool a mind-reader." Mystique laughed. She looked at Edward. "I am actually Bella's grandmother. My name is Raven Darkholme. Some call me Mystique. I'm a shape-shifter."

"Well, that explains your consuming concern for Bella. I wasn't sure why the thought patterns had changed. But I'm glad to know that it's because you're related not just someone who wants to experiment on her." Edward sighed. "Thank you for trusting me."

The professor left the room. "How is she, professor?"

"She'll be alright, Raven. Her shields are in place. Unfortunately, until I teach her how to build them herself, I'm going to have to keep her out of school." He shook his head. "She didn't get much sleep last night. I couldn't find out why. Somehow she kept hiding it from me. She knows that lack of sleep makes it easier for these type of things to happen. Why won't she tell me what happened that made her loose so much sleep last night?"

"Professor, that might be my fault."

"How so, Wolverine?"

"We talked on the phone last night and I mentioned the incident at the school five years ago. That could be why she didn't sleep well last night and why she can't function as well today."

The professor shook his head. "Logan, you and I both know how that incident affected her when she was just eleven years old. She has had five years to put it behind her but I don't think she was able to."

"She ditched school to spend the day with him. What could he have done to her out there alone? She needed to think about it. She needs to remember what could happen to her."

"That incident was not of her making. Daniel wasn't listening to anyone when it came to Isabella. He decided he wanted her and he went after her. I have been eternally grateful that she'd spent the day with Siren and was still able to use her ability. That I believe is precisely what saved her that day."

"Did anyone ever find out what happened to Daniel after he ran from the school?" Mystique asked. She knew what had happened to her granddaughter that day and still wanted to punish the boy for it.

"He was hung by a vigilante group three weeks later. They discovered his mutant abilities when he tried to have his way with a normal girl. They hung him but his neck didn't break so they gutted him while he was still alive."

Mystique and Logan both bowed their heads. Neither had wanted such a thing to happen but the boy had brought it on himself and they both knew it.

"Is there anything we can do to help Bella get through this more quickly?" Edward asked.

"Keeping her cool and quiet is the most important thing right now. Darkness helps too."

"My house has several rooms like that. It wouldn't be hard to make them cooler."

"We'll take her there then. Bella should be able to rest peacefully there."

"I'll carry her." Logan stood. "Maybe some of my healing factor'll rub off on her and help a little."

"I'll call Esme to let her know that we're on our way."

Logan walked into the office, took his bandana out and wrapped it around Bella's eyes and picked her up. She moaned as he settled her in his arms. "Too hot. Too hot."

"Logan, I could carry her. My body temperature is lower and it might make her more comfortable," Edward offered from behind him.

Logan turned and glared at Edward. "I know that. But don't you do anything that could hurt her."

"I never intended to. I don't like to see her like this anymore than you do. I helped to cause this and I want to help fix it."

Logan turned over the young woman in his arms and led the way out of the school.


	13. Chapter 13

Arriving at the house, Edward immediately carried Bella into the home office that Carlisle had set up. He lay her down on the bed and bent to remove her shoes and socks.

"What are you doing?" Logan asked him.

"Taking off her shoes and socks so that she can be a little more comfortable. It'll also help her cool down a little."

"How do you know about this stuff?"

"I'm almost a hundred years old. I have several degrees at least two of which are in medicine."

"I see. I guess you haven't wasted your time have you?"

"Logan, I know that you're overprotective of Bella but in all honesty this confrontational attitude you have isn't helping her any. Your guilt over what happened when she was eleven, while I can understand it, doesn't do her any good. Your stress is stressing her out. She doesn't need this."

"Let's talk about this elsewhere and let the kid rest."

Edward nodded and finished what he was doing before stepping to the thermostat and dropping the temperature in the room. He turned off the lights and closed the door as he and Logan left the room.

****

Ten hours later, Bella stumbled out of the office. She blinked rapidly and noticed that everyone was sitting quietly on the couch. The professor was the first to approach her.

"How do you feel, Bella?" the professor calmly asked.

"Groggy. Weak. I wouldn't mind going back to sleep. How long have I been out?"

"Ten hours. That must have been a serious headache."

"I haven't had one like that since I started working with the professor on building shields."

"Bella, tell me why you didn't sleep well last night." The professor wanted to see if she would tell him the same thing that Logan had.

"I can tell by your tone of voice that Logan already told you what happened. He told you right, Professor." At the look of shock on the professor's face, she smiled. "You get this particular tone in your voice when you're asking someone a question you already know the answer to."

She took a step toward Logan only to stumble and nearly fall. Edward was there to catch her. He held her up until she had her balance again.

Staying close to her, he helped her to the couch where the others had made room for her to sit down. Logan walked over and sat down next to her. "Bella, I'm sorry. I should have never mentioned that incident. I didn't even think about what it would do to you."

"Logan, I look at you like an uncle. You have always been super-overprotective of me. I should have put that behind me."

"That isn't something you can just forget." Wolverine draped an arm around her and pulled her close. "I should have thought before I opened my big fat mouth. I was worried about you. And you know that when I start to worry, my brain shuts down completely."

Bella giggled. She leaned into Wolverine. "That may be but I haven't met anyone yet with the guts to say that to your face."

"Don't bet on it. Emmett's already been pushing buttons. He and Logan had a bit of a sparring match the other night." Carlisle walked into the room as he spoke. He had a smile on his face when he saw that Bella was awake. "How do you feel, Bella?"

"Better. Still a bit of a headache but better."

"Edward called and told me about the headache. I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Thank you, Carlisle." She turned to Edward. "You knew what to do but you verified it with him first." She smiled. "Thank you."

Edward went to one knee in front of her. "I have the degrees but I've never really had a chance to use most of the information I have. The theories are there but not the practical knowledge. I'm glad you feel better too."

"I guess it's unanimous, kid. I'm just sorry I couldn't help you more."

"Not your fault your body temperature runs so much higher because of the adamantium. Your heart was in the right place. Thank you for looking out for me." Just then, she must have caught a random thought from Logan because she turned to Edward. "Did you really confront my grandmother?"

"I wasn't sure what her motivation was to worry about you. I decided to make sure that she wasn't intending you any harm."

She stood up and wrapped her arms around Edward's waist, leaning on his chest. "You're as bad as Logan."

****

That night, Bella was tucked into her bed and ready to sleep when she suddenly sat bolt upright. "Mom?"


	14. Chapter 14

In Florida, Renee and Phil were happy. Phil was doing well with his new team and they'd found the perfect house for them and Bella.

But, one night when the two of them had gone out with the team to celebrate a victory, something awful happened. On the way back to the house, the car was hit by a drunk driver, killing them both. Only they didn't die quickly. They both suffered for a long time as the rescuers tried to free them from the car.

*****

Bella woke up two mornings after her headache and walked downstairs. Her dad was on the phone.

"Yes. I understand. Of course. Thank you for calling." He paused. "No. I'll tell her."

He hung up the phone and turned to see Bella standing in the doorway. "Bella. I wasn't expecting you up this early."

"Couldn't sleep. What happened?"

"Bella, honey, I'm sorry. Phil and Renee were in a car accident. They – they didn't make it."

"No!" Bella blinked and she was back in her room. She blinked again and she was in the backyard. She started running for the woods.

Charlie stood at the back door watching her go, knowing that he couldn't stop her. He sighed and walked to the phone. Now, he had to break the news to Kurt and Mystique.

****

"Professor, I'm afraid I need to ask Kurt and Raven to come to my house," Charlie said. He really didn't want to do this but he felt it was better that they hear it from him.

"I'll send them right over, Charlie. Is Bella there?"

"No. She ran off into the woods."

"I'll send Logan to find her."

"I would appreciate that. Thank you, Professor."

The two hung up the phone. Charlie sat down in the living room to wait for his ex-mother-in-law and brother-in-law to arrive so that he could break the news of Renee's death.

****

Bella was blinded by her tears as she ran through the woods. Her mother couldn't be dead. She'd come here to try to protect her.

"Bella?" The lyrical voice made the young woman stop in her tracks. Alice was standing there with Jasper.

She looked at them with tears streaming down her face. "She's gone. My mother's gone." Her whispered voice wouldn't have been heard by normal humans.

"I'm sorry, Bella." Jasper started sending waves of calm toward her.

"It won't work, Jasper. The professor's shields are still in place. When he shields me, no one can get through. Even he has a hard time sometimes." Bella was still crying. She was getting tired and wanted to sleep.

"What can we do to help?" Alice walked up and wrapped her arms around the young woman she wanted to become friends with.

"What's this? Having a snack?" A strange voice came from across the clearing.

Three vampires with crimson eyes walked out of the trees and toward the trio. "Might we have a taste? She smells simply delicious."

Alice pushed Bella behind her as Jasper took on a protective stance in front of both of them. "Not for you," he growled.

"Protecting a human? Why?"

"She's with us." _'Edward! Where are you? We need help protecting Bella.'_ The thoughts screamed through his head. He really hoped that Edward was close enough to respond. He wasn't sure if they could fight off three vampires, even with Bella's abilities.


	15. Chapter 15

Bella watched as the red-headed vampire lunged at Alice. She was scared. Scared that something would happen to the pixie-like vampire she wanted to be friends with.

Alice looked so tiny, standing there. The red-head kept lunging at Alice who didn't seem to be moving. But she wasn't caught. Bella watched carefully.

Alice _was_ moving. She would take a small step forward at the exact second that the red-head's body flew through the spot where she'd just been standing. She took another step and grasping hands whistled past where her waist had been.

As the other female closed in, Alice began moving faster. She seemed to be dancing – spiraling and twisting and curling in on herself. It almost looked like a dance.

Suddenly out of nowhere, the little vampire was perched on her enemies back, her hands wrenching the head from its body. She looked at Bella. "Move, Bella!" she cried.

Bella looked to her right only to see a black-skinned vampire creeping in on her. She used her ability to teleport her to the other side of the clearing just before his hand closed on her arms.

****

'_Edward! Where are you? We need help protecting Bella.'_ The thought rang clear in Edward's mind. He took off in the direction he remembered Jasper and Alice going off in. He could only hope that he made it in time.

****

Logan could smell Bella just ahead. But fear laced her scent. He ran faster, pumping his arms faster.

'_I promised I would protect her. I have to get there.'_

He pushed himself harder. He had to protect her. She was the only family he had left.

****

Bella had been teleporting around the clearing, being very careful not to hit the same spot twice. Jasper was fighting the blond male and winning.

He tore off the male's head and turned toward Bella. Only to see the dark-skinned male grab her and tip her head. "You will taste magnificent," he whispered in her ear as he bent to her neck.

Edward entered the clearing at that moment. "No! Bella!"

The vampire looked up from where his mouth was almost touching her throat. "Ahhhh! So you have feelings for this little human?"

Bella felt Logan before she heard his roar. She felt a sharp little sting as he decapitated the vampire holding her.

She tensed as she felt the blood trickle down the back of her neck.

Jasper tensed. "Jasper, calm down. It all over. We just have to burn the bodies now." Alice had noticed the tension and knew what was about to happened.

Jasper lunged toward the scent of blood. Edward stepped in front of him and blocked him from reaching Bella. Wolverine stepped in front of her in order to help protect the young woman.

Jasper finally pulled himself together just as everyone walked into the clearing.

As Jasper walked off across the clearing, Bella turned to the professor.

"Professor, I think I'm ready to return to the school with you and continue my lessons. I really need to learn to build my own shields so that I can protect myself."

"Bella, you can't leave. We were just starting to become friends."

"Bella, I haven't had the chance to get to know you. Please give me that chance."

"Alice, I want to be your friend. We can write to each other and e-mail too. Edward, we will have the chance to get to know each other. We will have our day. It's just not now. I have to do this. I want to do this. It's the only way I'll learn to protect myself so that I won't be in so much danger in your world."

She walked away from Edward and his family. Returned to the world she'd been born into.

* * *

A/N: That is the end of this story. Of course you might want to stay tuned because I have the beginning idea for a sequel running around in my head.


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